Federal prosecutors announced new charges Thursday against 15 defendants in Minnesota, accusing them of stealing more than $90 million from taxpayer-funded Medicaid programs in what officials described as part of a larger fraud problem across the state’s public assistance system, as reported by Trending Politics News.
The Department of Justice announced the cases during a press conference led by Colin McDonald, assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The announcement came hours after former Feeding Our Future Executive Director Aimee Bock was sentenced to more than 41 years in prison for her role in a separate $250 million pandemic fraud scheme in Minnesota.
BREAKING: Aimee Bock, the ringleader of the massive $250 million Feed Our Future COVID fraud scheme in Minnesota, has been sentenced to OVER 41 YEARS in prison. pic.twitter.com/aspN124B3u
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 21, 2026
Many of the defendants charged in the latest cases are Somali or Somali-American, according to charging documents and court records tied to the investigation.
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Federal officials said the new indictments are part of a broader effort to crack down on fraud across multiple Minnesota public assistance programs.
“Let me be clear upfront about something: This is not the end of our work in Minnesota,” McDonald said. “This is the beginning of our work in Minnesota. The fraud here in Minnesota is shocking.”
According to prosecutors, the latest cases involve seven Minnesota-administered Medicaid programs that were allegedly exploited by fraudsters targeting taxpayer-funded services intended for vulnerable residents.
McDonald identified Minnesota’s housing stabilization services program as one example. The program was created to help homeless residents secure stable housing, but prosecutors said spending rose sharply after the program launched.
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The program was projected to cost about $2.5 million annually when it began in 2020. By 2024, costs had climbed past $104 million.
“One of the programs has been completely shut down because there’s no money left: It’s all gone,” McDonald said.
He said the program was terminated in 2025 and added, “These services no longer exist for these vulnerable homeless populations.”
Federal officials also cited major spending increases in other Medicaid-backed programs, including an autism services initiative that prosecutors said grew from roughly $600,000 six years ago to more than $400 million.
“That number is not driven by supply and demand,” McDonald said. “It is not driven by healthcare or charity. It is fraud.”
The DOJ said the alleged schemes targeted more than $90 million in taxpayer funds. Officials also suggested the wider fraud problem in Minnesota could be much larger.
When asked about previous estimates from former U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson that fraud losses across Minnesota programs could total $9 billion, McDonald said investigators would not be surprised if the final number reaches or exceeds that figure.
“The fraud is enormous,” McDonald said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that number is accurate or even small.”
McDonald said investigators are focused first on individual criminal cases before calculating the full scope of statewide losses.
“I don’t have the exact number, because what I do is I look at individual people committing individual crimes,” McDonald continued. “And at the end of all of our work, we’ll tally it all up, and we’ll tell you exactly how much was stolen from the American people.
“We’re focused on individual defendants.”
The DOJ also announced an expansion of its healthcare fraud enforcement operation in Minnesota. Officials said 11 strike force prosecutors have already been deployed in the state, and a newly expanded Medicaid fraud strike force will add 15 prosecutors who can pursue cases nationwide.
The announcement came as the fallout from the Feeding Our Future scandal continued. Bock’s sentencing marked one of the largest fraud punishments in state history. Federal officials said more cases remain ahead.
“This is not the end of the beginning,” McDonald said during the press conference. “This is the beginning.”
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